What is SmartLibrary?

SmartLibrary brings together the collections available at 12 libraries in the Nation Capital Region.

Borrow materials from any of our participating libraries

Each library has specific rules about how to access these materials.

Please note that e-resources are not included with SmartLibrary cards.

Getting a SmartLibrary Card

You need a SmartLibrary card to borrow from the lending libraries.

Active members at partner libraries can ask for a SmartLibrary card at their home library. Card members are responsible for the management of their materials and any fines or charges that may result from their use of materials.

The Algonquin College Library maintains a broad collection, supporting courses in the Applied Arts, Business, Trades, Technology and Health Sciences. The Ottawa campus, on Woodroffe Avenue, contains over 40,000 books and about 1,500 DVDs. Video materials may be viewed on site.

The bibliothèque municipale de Gatineau has 664 000 documents for patrons of all ages in its 10 branches. Its collection, mostly in French, includes books, magazines, newspapers, electronic resources, compact discs, CDs, DVDs, and audio books.

The Canadian Museum of History library’s collection covers subjects ranging from ethnology and archaeology through to Aboriginal Peoples and all aspects of history, folklore, multiculturalism, material culture, postal history, as well as museology. It is comprised of more than 60,000 books, over 2000 journal and magazine titles, of which 450 are current subscriptions, all Museum publications dating from 1910 to the present day and a unique collection of rare books.

The Hartland Molson Library has approximately 60,000 volumes including regimental histories, published personal memoirs, periodicals and newspapers, wartime pamphlets, military technical and field manuals, multi-media, and 5,000 rare books. These extensive national collections of primary and secondary research material document Canada's military history from the colonial period to the present.

The Dominican University College Library comprises of a collection of around 120,000 books in theology and philosophy with a good collection in related subjects such as: languages, literature, history and sciences. Our library invests a lot in complete series of ancient authors, such as the Loeb Classical Library, the Collection des universités de France, Sources Chrétiennes, Corpus Christianorum, as well as a number of series in biblical studies. A sizeable proportion of our library collection is also dedicated to medieval philosophy and theology, especially Thomas Aquinas. Our library has subscriptions to numerous specialized journals that are not found elsewhere in our region.

La Cité provides access to a wide variety of materials including books, magazines, and DVDs.

With more than 2 million items in its collection, the Ottawa Public Library offers something for all tastes and ages: from trendy magazines to daily newspapers, from downloadable music, movies and TV shows to the latest fiction best seller. The OPL lends items such as Chromebooks, Kill-A-Watt meters, and cross-country ski passes along with a plethora of eBooks, in French and English, as well as audiobooks, which can be retrieved from the comfort of home or a mobile device. Special collections include extensive local historical documents for perusal at the Ottawa Room of the Main branch, the unique local history collection maintained by the Cumberland Historical Society at the Cumberland branch, as well as the local history collection housed at the Beaverbrook branch. OPL also offers a wide range of online educational resources on subjects from ancestry, to language learning, to technology, to consumer reports.

The two libraries at the Gatineau campus give access to over 260,000 books, including a unique collection of 3,000 volumes in our Québec comic books collections. The library at the Alexandre-Taché hall contains the collections in education, psychology, psychological re-education, social sciences, industrial relations, nursing, translation and social work. The library at the Lucien-Brault hall contains the collections in administration, arts and heritage, electrical engineering, computers science and accounting. The libraries also subscribe to many specialized periodicals.

The library is an essential partner in fulfilling the research, teaching and learning mission of the University. The University of Ottawa Library is composed of 3 main libraries - the Morisset Library (Arts and Science), the Brian Dickson Law Library and the Health Sciences Library - in addition to a number of specialized research collections. For more information about our collection please visit https://biblio.uottawa.ca/en/about/collections.  While the Library's primary clientele is the student, faculty and staff of the University of Ottawa, it is open to the general public for consultation and holders of a SmartLibrary card have limited borrowing privileges.